-TheWire.in A drop in rice export rates from the top exporter, India, due to the falling rupee also weighed on demand for the Vietnamese variety. Bengaluru: Rice export prices in India fell this week as the rupee weakened, with the drop in rates from the top exporter also weighing on demand for the Vietnamese variety. Rates for India’s 5% broken parboiled rice fell by $3 per tonne to $389-$393 per tonne this week. “Rupee...

-Scroll.in A creek from the Periyar river was diverted when the airport – shut till August 26 – was built. As heavy rain continues to lash Kerala, the government announced on Thursday that the flooded Cochin International Airport would remain closed until August 26. The international airports in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode districts will accommodate the traffic from Kochi, which is Kerala’s largest airport. The state is in the grip of what has...

-The Hindu The ongoing south-west monsoon has wreaked havoc in Kerala, with as many as 20 people killed in rain-related incidents on Thursday, taking the overall toll to 87. Here’s a look at how relentless rains over the past two months led to a chain of events which resulted in the floods. Hitting a high This year, the south-west Monsoon brought three spells of rains to Kerala — first during mid-June, second during mid-July...

-The Telegraph New Delhi: The 2018 monsoon rainfall may slip slightly below the normal threshold of 96 per cent of the average, the national weather agency indicated on Friday, but predicted that the rainfall distribution during August and September would be "favourable" for farm operations. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that rainfall during the second half of the four-month rainy season would be 95 per cent of the average, with a...

-The Hindu Shortfall unlikely to impede agriculture, officials say. Amidst concerns that monsoon rains could fall short of “normal,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is reviewing its projections. Officials, however, told The Hindu that while July rains were less than expected, the shortfall was confined to the northeastern States of India and below-normal rains were unlikely to impede agriculture production. It’s expected to take a call before the weekend on whether to stick...